Every year I have the same conversation.
"We'll think about fall after summer slows down."
The problem is, by the time summer slows down, it's already too late.
Retail buyers know this. While the rest of us are enjoying summer, they're walking trade shows, placing holiday orders, and planning the next season. They understand something every successful business eventually learns:
The next season starts before the current one ends.
Marketing works the same way.
Here in Tahoe, July isn't the time to start thinking about fall marketing—it's the time to start planning it. The busiest weeks of summer are also your best opportunity to prepare for what's next.
While you're busy serving customers, start collecting the pieces you'll need later.
You're collecting today's moments to tell tomorrow's story.
As summer begins to wind down, your marketing should begin taking shape.
By the end of August, your fall marketing should be assembled and ready to launch—not just an idea scribbled on a notepad.
Summer visitors begin heading home, and your audience changes almost overnight.
Now your marketing shifts toward:
September isn't the time to build campaigns. It's the time to run them.
This is where I see many businesses miss a huge opportunity.
October isn't just about beautiful fall colors. It's when many people begin planning their winter.
If you're in lodging, hospitality, recreation, or winter services, this is when you should be planting the seeds for January bookings, ski season, holiday reservations, and winter experiences.
People often make winter decisions long before the snow arrives.
The businesses that consistently have strong shoulder seasons aren't necessarily working harder than everyone else. They're simply working ahead.
While everyone else is reacting to the season they're in, they're quietly preparing for the one that's coming next.
Here in Tahoe, that's one of the biggest advantages you can give yourself. July is still about serving your summer customers, but it's also the time to capture the photos, record the videos, collect the testimonials, and develop the campaigns that will carry your business into fall and winter.
Marketing isn't about keeping up with the calendar. It's about staying one season ahead of it.
If you start planning your fall marketing while you're still busy with summer, you'll be ready when your audience changes. And when everyone else is wondering where summer went, you'll already be having conversations with your next customers.
If there is a topic you’d like to hear more about, by all means comment below or direct message, and I’ll do my best.
Nothing better than a good question to jump into.
Reach out for a talk over coffee or a hike. tgold@bigwaterci.com
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Trina Gold
Master Creator
